The recession in the U.S. economy has resulted in more foreclosures than experienced by any other generation of Americans. Yet as always, this challenge has given rise to a huge new opportunity for alert real estate investors.

Bulk REO Investing is the name of the new game, and its gathered the attention of many well-seasoned investors.

Lets take a moment to analyze the basics of this incredibly lucrative business. Understanding the notion of Bulk REOs requires understanding of the foreclosure process. When a home owner begins to miss payments on their mortgage, the lender begins to send late/overdue notices to the home owner. After a certain period, the lender will then formally begin foreclosure proceedings. Between the formal beginning of the foreclosure process and the public auction is the preforeclosure period.

The auction of the defaulted property signifies completion of the foreclosure process. Ownership of the house is returned to the lender if the property goes unsold at auction. The classification of REO (Real Estate Owned) is then attached to the foreclosed property.

Typically, lenders list their REO properties with local real estate agents in hopes of selling the property to a retail buyer who will pay full price. However, REO properties are now frequently sold for far less than their book value. However, the purchase of a package (or group) of REO properties is the trade-off for receiving such great prices.

The recession in the United States has yielded huge profits to real estate investors prepared to take advantage. One of the best ways to take advantage of Bulk REO Investing opportunities is to partner with a well-regarded source of funding. Some sources of funding for these transactions are: personal funds, hard money lenders, commercial lenders and non-conventional sources such as private investors and hedge funds.